Senior Field Solution Architect

Fueled by our shared passion and expertise, CDW delivers innovative technology solutions for our customers. We're also committed to fostering an environment that embraces collaboration, celebrates integrity, inclusivity, and individuality, and paves the path for personal and professional growth. Experience a life in balance and join us on the journey forward.

The Senior Field Solution Architect (FSA) role focuses on pre-sales solution design for all things Collaboration. This role is responsible for working with Inside Sales and Field Sales teams to plan and organize sales strategies focused on modern Collaboration platforms including traditional Unified Communications, both on-premises and as a service, as well as messaging and meeting platforms. The FSA is the Collaboration subject matter expert who analyzes the sales situation including customer expectations, competitive environment as well as the customer's technical environment. The FSA also defines actions to be performed in the sales cycle timeframe.

As a Senior Field Solution Architect on the Collaboration team, you will investigate the client's infrastructure to propose solution options to the customer and illustrate the relative value and benefits of each option based on the customer's specific environment, requirements, and future needs.

The Collaboration Senior Field Solution Architect develops and maintains strategic relationships with Management of the Sales teams they support and is seen as a trusted advisor to grow business.

As an Architect on the Collaboration team, you will have the knowledge base to be the subject matter expert in multiple families of solutions.

In this role, you will be the Senior Field Solution Architect that has the ability to operate independently using standard approaches, existing tools, templates, and resources. You will share knowledge and information that may benefit the account team and our customer.

Key Areas of Responsibility

Technology Leadership

• Learns by proactively expanding technical depth in products, solutions, and services. If pertinent, achieves certifications in advanced technologies for CDW's Partner Certification Requirements.
• Operates with perspective and insight for business, not just technology, and establishes the limits on what can be achieved.
• Designs technical solutions by using standard approaches while considering the customer's infrastructure limitations and opportunities.
• Estimates engineering effort and gathers customer requirements to define hardware and services that satisfy. Compliment, or complete the customer's goals.
• Uses team tools, templates, resources, and processes for maximum efficiency, productivity, consistency, and quality execution.
• Provides feedback to internal technology leaders where opportunities exist to improve offerings, design, and delivery execution.
• Conducts technology and solution training for CDW audiences (e.g., Sales, Internal Solution Architects) using developed material.
• Contributes knowledge with peers and Sales.
• Assists new team members by answering questions and sharing expertise on the tools of the job.
• Sales - Follows up on implemented solutions and identifies new opportunities that complement the work that was completed.
• Research and reviews customer profile information and applies that knowledge to develop customer intimacy prior to sales calls and/or strategy sessions.
• Assists customer in understanding their equipment maintenance contracts, upgrade needs, and renewals, striving to offer the most cost-effective approach for the customer (e.g. renew the contract or purchase new equipment and contract.)
• Uses various tools to calculate the Total Cost of Ownership and/or Return on Investment and explains to customers and Sales the business value and benefits of solution options.
• Articulates to customers the Practice's value proposition.
• Articulates audience-centric versions of the Practice's value proposition with customers, Sales, and Partners to generate additional revenue opportunities for CDW.
• Guides (compares and contrasts) CDW Tier 1 Partners technologies/solutions such as Cisco, Microsoft, and Zoom to help develop the customer's IT strategy.
• Helps to plan and support events in territory by leveraging playbooks from previous events, including the identification of partner funding sources (i.e. sponsorship).
• Coordinates with Sales to drive attendance to events.
• Leads business-focused technology/solution presentations at CDW, Customer, and Partner events and meetings in your territory.
• Uses technology assessments and demos as a sales tool for furthering sales opportunities while identifying cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.
• Collaborates with Partners, Inside Solution Architects, and Sales to drive mapped opportunities by fine-tuning strategies and approaches to achieve greater sales results.
• Operates in a regular cadence with Partners to educate, plan, and execute on joint strategies in collaboration with CDW stakeholders (e.g. Inside Solution Architects, Internal Sales, Sales Managers, Field Sales).
• Understands Partner alignment in geography and leads customer-opportunity mapping exercises.
• Helps to coordinate on-site Partner visits.
• Develops a Territory Plan in collaboration with Partners, Sales, and Inside Solution Architects and uses the Plan to manage their business.
• Understands profit margin and how to increase profitability and uses that understanding to work cooperatively with Sales to ensure profitability.
• Leverages and maximizes partner pricing, partner registration programs, incentive programs, and special pricing, to win business and optimize profitability.
• Advises Sales, peer FSAs during price negotiations with Partners to increase margin and deal size and to position CDW for future opportunities without sacrificing future profitability.
• Produces marketing documents and materials (e.g., presentations) to customers in territory
  

Sales Support

• Responds to questions about Partner registrations, associated registration issues, and customer engagement history.
• Prioritizes time spent on opportunities based on CDW's potential Return on Investment.
• Writes Statements of Work (including work effort estimates) and assists with the technical response to Request for Proposals, Request for Information, and proposal content.
• Assists Inside Solution Architects to produce Bills of Materials, including product maintenance.
• Maintains pre-sales pipeline data, develops plans, and takes actions to move opportunities to closure.
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience
• Four-year minimum technical pre-sales or technical architecting experience
• Experience and thorough knowledge of at least one leading Collaboration Partner platform and understanding of architecture options
  

Other Requirements

• Stay up to date on products, applications, technical service, market conditions, competitive activities, advertising, and promotional trends through the reading of pertinent literature, seminars, and online training
  
• Proven project management skills
  
• Proficient in Microsoft office applications
  
• Proven success and experience selling technologies solutions and services
  
• Knowledge and proven success of engaging and working with sales teams
  
• Ability to execute on territory goals and metrics
  
• Ability to adapt and change to the business needs of the practice and team coverage model
  
• Strong interpersonal and presentation skills, including consulting skills
  
• Strong oral and written communication skills
  
• Strong passion for learning and teaching others
  
• Motivated and self-starting
  
• Ability to think creatively and come up with proactive ideas that will increase sales
  
• Strong problem-solving skills
  
• Must be able to communicate effectively and in a constructive manner with management, peers and coworkers
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Obtain and maintain relevant industry standard certifications, CCNA voice, etc.
  
• 4 plus years of proven experience in technology sales
  
• Thorough knowledge of Cisco Collaboration products and understanding of infrastructure
  
• Ability to travel up to 25%